Okay so not really. I don’t drink very much, though I do like a good whiskey every now and then. But I did bake rye bread!
I haven’t posted in awhile because, well, I got overwhelmed with work and stuff and I started running again so I have even less time, but it’s my day off so I cleaned my stove and part of my counter and baked bread. I also ran three miles but that’s beside the point.
Last week, I did actually bake zucchini bread from my recipe book but COMPLETELY forgot to take photos of the process. It was delicious enough that I’m going to make it again, so I can document it. I also have some travel plans next week so I hope to update the blog with those photos and adventures.
Some of the ingredients. . . So true story, I forgot to by rye flour and didn’t want to buy a whole bag, so my dad brought me some from the bakery, along with caraway seeds you can see in the little bag. I need to buy a jar of yeast but I keep forgetting to grab it at the grocery store.
For this bread, I scalded milk (in the microwave because I am lazy and the burners were still drying off from scrubbing the stove), and added butter, salt, and some brown sugar. I didn’t use all rye flower, I also mixed in some all purpose white flour in so it wasn’t super dense (just a little dense) when it was baked. I slowly added in the flour a cup at a time.
It created a sticky dough, which is common for rye. I actually wasn’t a rye bread eater for most of my life. Like many kids, I’m sure, it had too strange a taste for someone accustomed to white bread and wheat bread. Now, I like it a lot. My palate has changed a lot over the years, and it’s more broad. Which is super helpful when I go to new countries and try new food.
No kneading required for this dough! I put it in the oven to double. Again, with the pan of boiling water to keep things warm and humid.
Punching, or pushing, the dough down will forever be my favorite part of baking bread. That and the smell of yeast.
This bread was too sticky to really handle, but I managed to “pour” it into a baking dish. I inherited my grandma’s old pyrex ovenware dishes, so I was pleased to find the exact size I needed in the cupboard. I don’t use this dish as much because it’s more flat on the bottom. I mostly use it for jello actually. But it was perfect to bake this bread in!
It looks super close to the edge but the bottom was fully on the counter so don’t worry! I tried to form the dough to stretch the skin a bit. It’s hard to explain without showing you a video, but it’s a little trick I learned in culinary school to make the bread look nice as it bakes instead of having weird lumps. It wasn’t super even because of how sticky the dough was, but it looks rustic. That’s it, rustic.
I sprinkled caraway seeds on top, but realized after it baked that they didn’t stick to the bread in spite of the sticky dough. My dad reminded me of egg wash, and I completely forgot to really do it (though I did add some after the fact so SOME seeds stuck!). Also pictured: my really, really delicious expensive coffee.
Oven Ready! My stove looks so much more photogenic now that it’s clean, but you can’t really tell either way!
Now that is a handsome loaf.
And it’s pretty good too! Note all the caraway seeds under the rack! Oh well, I’ll remember next time. I’ll definitely make this loaf again. I may try and see if I can put it in a square pan for more even sandwiches for my lunch box. But I’ll definitely be packing my lunches with this bread! It’s not very strong a rye flavor, probably because it has a 2:3 ratio with AP flour respectively. So it’s perfect for me, though I’m slowly loving stronger and stronger rye flavor.
I’m currently working on a ginger bug, so I hope I can make ginger beer style soda this coming week. I didn’t take any pictures of the process because I kept failing at it, which is a story in and of itself. It may still fail, but it’s holding on for now so who knows. It smells good anyway!
Maybe I’ll do a coffee post soon! I have been drinking so much coffee lately, at least 2-3 cups a day. Maybe it’s not ideal but I did work up to it. But anyway, I have 4 or so different ways I like making it and it might be fun to talk about. Til next time, my friends!
The Solo Geographer 